Dead PC

Hello,

I have a problem with a PC I built two weeks ago. My system configuration is:

Motherboard: Asrock PT880 775
CPU: Intel 2.1 GHz Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB of Corsair DDR2
Video Card: MSI StarForce 831 with Nvidia GeForce 2 (cannibalized from my old system)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2-430W
Modem: US Robotics 56K (cannibalized from my old system)

The system worked perfectly for two weeks, then failed two nights ago. I had spent some time online, then turned away to pick up a CD with some software I wanted to install. When I turned back, the display screen had gone black and the power LED was blinking. Pressing the reset button simply caused the hard drive light to come on until the button was released, then the CD drive light would come on for a few seconds as though the system was trying to boot from it. I placed the video card back in my old computer where it worked perfectly, eliminating the video card as the problem. I installed the power supply from my old computer in the new one with no improvement, which seems to eliminate the power supply as the problem. Removing the modem and the memory also made no change. This seems to narrow the problem to either the CPU or the motherboard. Can someone suggest a way to determine which of the two is the problem? I don’t have spares to swap in as a test. Also, although the reviews of the power supply on NewEgg.com were overwhelmingly positive, a few reviewers claimed that it fried their motherboards. Is there a way to verify that the power supply is working properly?

Thanks

John Plenge

to check ur psu
wht u can do is short ur green and black wire
if ur fans runs it means tht ur psu is ok..
to exactly check for supply u would require a multimeter
to check the vokltages of ur supply...

Thanks. I do have a borrowed multimeter. What voltages should I look for?